The Rise (and Rapid Fall) of Republican Presidential Candidates

There’s been a very noticeable and consistent pattern with Republican Presidential candidates this season. If you’ve been paying close attention you shouldn’t have missed it.

Of the primary candidates, Gary Johnson was the first to declare his candidacy back on April 21, 2011. Not having been a radical outspoken person prior to his announcement, Johnson didn’t get much attention. Few people really knew who he was. So there wasn’t a lot of hoo-hah over him. But on May 11, 2011 Newt Gingrich announced that he was throwing his hat in the ring, and the games pretty much started with him.

Over night Gingrich became popular, and was talked up a lot by the right-wing news media and many in the tea party. But it didn’t take long for him to fizzle.

After Gingrich, a couple of more jumped in, but not much was said about them. The most notable was Ron Paul, who has run for President several times in the past, and does have some tea party support.

Tim Pawlenty came out pretty strong on May 23, 2011. A lot of the far-right loved his talking points, which seemed to be geared to tea party members. But when Mitt Romney entered the games a couple of weeks later, Pawlenty kind of stagnated. Then on June 6, 2011 when Rick Santorum joined the fray, both Pawlenty and Romney took a hit in popularity. Suddenly, and for the moment, Santorum was the new hero of the right and the tea party.

But things really heated up on June 27, 2011 when Michele Bachmann announced that she wanted the President’s job. Immediately, everyone who had come out before her begin to wilt like a dying weed. Bachmann was now the prophet sent from above to solve the right-wing’s problems; and the tea party was all goggle-eyed. As far as they were concerned, the others could pack it up and go home. But then a funny thing happened on the way to forum.

On August 13, 2011 his majesty Rick Perry climbed in to claim the crown. My, my, my! The right, Wall Street and the tea party was all over him like flies on sugar. He was “the man”. Led by the tea party, Perry immediately sailed to the top in the polls. He was on a roll. But just as he was about to unofficially declare him self the primary winner, the phone rang.

On September 22, 2011, there was a GOP Presidential debate in Orlando, Florida. And most of the other candidates were lined up with their guns aimed directly at Perry; especially Romney and Bachmann. Santorum put in his 2 cents worth, but the damaged was really done by the former two. Perry stumbled.

By the next day, although still leading in the polls, Perry was on an obvious slide. Herman Cain, who really hadn’t been talked about a lot, won a straw poll in Florida over Perry. And Mitt Romney suddenly became the person that right-wing television, radio and bloggers were mentioning the most.

So what’s going on here? Are these candidates shooting themselves in the foot? Well, kinda!

What we’ve been witnessing is something we are already painfully familiar with, but may not have put it together yet. The popularity contest is being driven by the tea party; you know — the same group that has set our national agenda. (Kind of frightening when you consider that only about 18% of all voters declare themselves as tea party members.)

If you’re unsure of my conclusion, just think back over the past year.

While she has yet to declare her candidacy, Sarah Palin was the mouth of the tea party for two years, and they were in love with her. Even so, tea party leaders weren’t very uncomfortable with her as a Presidential candidate. They simply used her to advance their cause. They may have been the first to recognize that Palin really is nothing but a twit.

Prior to announcing their candidacy, Gingrich, Pawlenty, Santorum and Perry had used their pulpits to shout out all the things the tea party loves to hear. They engaged in favorite tea party talking points. So, one by one, as they announced their candidacy, they sailed to the top of the tea party charts. But so afterwards, knowing they couldn’t be elected by the tea party alone, they had to start acting like — and talking like — they had some sort of reasoning and logic; something the tea party doesn’t like or want.

Today the names being mentioned the most as the “real deal” is Romney and Gingrich. In fact, just today the head of the tea party movement, Judson Phillips, announced he was supporting New Gingrich, and Romney has resurfaced as the favorite of Wall Street. Perry still holds a lead in the polls, but the powers-to-be aren’t so sure of him now.

Although the drums are beating louder today for Chris Christie to enter the race, he has said he will not be running this season. That could change if Romney and Gingrich have a pretty bad stumble. But that’s not likely to happen. Well, maybe Gingrich will. Meanwhile, keep your eye on the ball; not what the tea party wants you to look at. But for America’s sake, don’t completely ignore who the tea party finally lines up behind — that’ll be the candidate you need to be very cautious of. If you don’t believe me, ask House Speaker John Boehner.

David Stockman, an integral part of the Reagan administration, has produced a great book, 'The Great Deformation," in which he blames Republican Presidents starting with Richard Nixon for the sad state of the US economy, but he saves his worst invective for Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush for their abandonment of sound economic policy and their wild "deficits don't matter" spending.

He indicts the Reagan administration for a needless, wasteful military build-up and the creation of what he calls the "warfare state." He also condemns the fiscal profligacy of Republican economic policy for condoning any and all tax cuts for any reason whatsoever, for coddling Wall Street and for decades of money printing and market rigging by the Federal Reserve.

In an article in the New York Times Stockman said: "The destruction of fiscal rectitude under Ronald Reagan - one reason I resigned as his budget chief in 1985 - was the greatest of his many dramatic acts. It created a template for the Republicans' utter abandonment of ... balanced-budget policies ... and allowed George W. Bush to dive into the deep end, bankrupting the nation through two misbegotten and unfinanced wars, a giant expansion of Medicare and a tax-cutting spree for the wealthy that turned K Street lobbyists into the de facto office of national tax policy. In effect, the G.O.P. embraced Keynesianism - for the wealthy."

Peak Inequality: The .01% And The Impoverishment Of Society An extensive analysis of economic conditions and government policy reveals that the need for significant systemic change is now a mathematical fact. Corruption, greed and economic inequality have reached a peak tipping point. Due to the consolidation of wealth, the majority of the population cannot generate enough income to keep up with the cost of living. In the present economy, under current government policy, 70% of the population is now sentenced to an impoverished existence.

The History & Evolution of the 99% Movement - Economic Elite Vs. The People: 2012 Anniversary Update History should record that the birth of the 99% Movement was on September 17, 2011. That was when the movement became a household name known to the masses. However, the 99% Movement was conceived exactly two years ago, with the release of an online report and call to action titled "The Economic Elite Vs. The People of the United States of America." The report was originally released as a six-part series. The first part was published on February 15, 2010 and the last part was published on February 27, 2010. To celebrate the two year anniversary, we are reissuing the report with a new introduction recapping the history and evolution of the movement, from the experience of researching and writing the original call to action, to building up the movement online and organizing occupations worldwide. At the end of the book, we feature statements from occupiers, organizers and supporters of the 99%.

It has now become evident to a critical mass that the Republican and Democratic parties, along with all three branches of our government, have been bought off by a well-organized Economic Elite who are tactically destroying our way of life. The harsh truth is that 99% of the US population no longer has political representation. The US economy, government and tax system are now blatantly rigged against us.

". . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."

Neocons: The 'Anti-Realists' - America’s neocons, who wield great power inside the U.S. government and media, endanger the planet by concocting strategies inside their heads that ignore real-world consequences. Thus, their “regime changes” have unleashed ancient hatreds and spread chaos across the globe.

Republicans and Wall Street Say to Hell With Protecting the Public! - In the last election cycle, Wall Street banks and financial interests spent over $1.2 billion on lobbying and campaign contributions, according to Americans for Financial Reform. Their spending strategy appears to be working. Just this week, the House passed further legislation that would delay by two years some key provisions of Dodd-Frank. “[Banks] want to be able to do things their way, and that’s very dangerous.” MIT economist Simon Johnson tells Bill.

An Imperial Death Grip on Democracy - Official Washington – controlled by a lethal mix of politics, ideology, media and money – has an imperial death grip on what’s left of the American democratic republic, a hold so suffocating that it’s hard to envision any move to escape. But some citizens keep on trying.

Summer Rerun: Lazy Corporate Monopolies Are Why America Can’t Have Nice Things - Antitrust is the core problem here. Without restraint on behavior, corporate executives will work to grab as much market and political power as possible, because only market power and political power allows them to have pricing leverage without investment, risk, or innovation. Competition is the enemy of these businessmen.

Oligarchy Blues - This article by Michael Ventura, on the degeneration of representative process in the US and the rise of oligarchy, calls for new terminology and frameworks in order to describe our current political and economic conditions accurately.

How DC Insiders Help Wall Street - For years, the Washington-to-Wall-Street axis has sent campaign donations south to influence the shaping of financial legislation but the pipeline also has flowed the other way, shipping “actionable” insider information north to help stock traders.

Bankers and Politicians: A Symbiotic Relationship - Bankers and politicians have a two-way dependence. In this situation, politicians can forget their responsibilities, and the political system fails to protect the economy from banking risk. Even after the financial crisis, as one politician admitted, the banks "own the place."

Why the Worst Get on Top - in Economics and as CEOs - Libertarians are profoundly anti-democratic. The folks at Cato that I debate make no bones about their disdain for and fear of democracy. Friedrich von Hayek is so popular among libertarians because of his denial of the legitimacy of democratic government and his claims that it is inherently monstrous and murderous to its own citizens.

How Wall St. Bailed Out the Nazis - Official Washington dismisses any reference to Ukraine's neo-Nazis as "Russian propaganda" because everyone knows that no respectable U.S. leader would get in bed with such people. But Wall Street bankers didn't have such qualms.

Using Generational Warfare to Divert Attention from Oligarchy and Corporatism - Even though the pitched battle to cut, erm, reform Social Security and Medicare has died down, don't kid yourself into thinking it's over. Neoliberals keep stoking generational warfare to drive a wedge between the young and old so as to keep them from noticing who is behind the campaign to have old people die faster.

The Koch Brothers' 'Samson Option' - The fiscal crisis in Washington is not simply a threat to economic and government stability, as serious as that is. It is a premeditated scheme to carve out a new constitutional structure that gives the Koch Brothers and other right-wing billionaires the power to void the democratic process.

A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning - Shortly after President Obama started his second term, a loose-knit coalition of conservative activists led by former Attorney General Edwin Meese III gathered in the capital to plot strategy. Their push to repeal Mr. Obama’s health care law was going nowhere, and they desperately needed a new plan.

Racism and the American Right - From the start of the Republic to today's Republican ranting against Barack Obama, racism has been a central element of the American Right. But this ugly feature of U.S. history has often come concealed behind words praising traditions, liberty and states' rights.

Secret and Lies of the Bailout - The federal rescue of Wall Street didn’t fix the economy – it created a permanent bailout state based on a Ponzi-like confidence scheme. And the worst may be yet to come.

Quelle Surprise! The Geithner Doctrine Not Only Puts Banks Above the Law, It Also Serves to Excuse Their Bad Behavior - Our Treasury Secretary, also known as the Bailouter in Chief and "Foamy," has a default explanation for why ordinary citizens must bend over every time banking interests are threatened. The more formal statement of this policy is the Geithner Doctrine, which is "nothing must be done that will destablize the banking system." However, Geithner also subscribes to the Humpty Dumpty School of Language, in which words mean what he chooses them to mean, nothing more or less. So "destabilize" means "hurts the profits or reputation of" and "banking system" means "any bank that is pretty big and/or well connected".

Where the Money Lives - Nicholas Shaxson delves into the murky world of offshore finance, revealing loopholes that allow the very wealthy to skirt tax laws, and investigating just how much of Romney’s fortune (with $30 million in Bain Capital funds in the Cayman Islands alone?) looks pretty strange for a presidential candidate.

Let's just say it: The Republicans are the problem. - We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

Bank of America: Too Crooked to Fail - The bank has defrauded everyone from investors and insurers to homeowners and the unemployed. So why does the government keep bailing it out?

How the Right’s Smear Machine Started - Americans sometimes wonder how the nation’s political process got so unspeakably nasty with vitriol pouring forth especially from right-wing voices like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage, to name just a few. Yet, whenever called on this ugliness, conservatives insist that they are the real victims, picked on by the Left.

Is the SEC Covering Up Wall Street Crimes? - A whistle-blower claims that over the past two decades, the agency has destroyed records of thousands of investigations, whitewashing the files of some of the nation's worst financial criminals

A Party Gone Mad - Today's Republicans are Yesterday's Fascists - "Growing up, I always wondered how an entire nation could go mad. I was thinking about Nazi Germany, and millions of good, decent Germans, seeming to lose their minds for Hitler and National Socialism and its repressive brutality. I never thought I was[sic] see it for myself. It would be a long time, I told myself, before a nation would lose itself again as Germany had in the 30s. Then came the 2008 elections and the Tea Party" [Bold added].